NCAA Tournament Schedule: West Virginia Rallies for Halftime Tie Against Clemson

NCAA Tournament Schedule Underway, As West Virginia Rallies to Tie Clemson at the Half

The 2011 NCAA Tournament is officially underway, as two of the first four games on the tournament slate have tipped off. 

The first game of the day pitted the fifth seed West Virginia Mountaineers against the 12-seed Clemson Tigers. 

Clemson came in as the hotter team, having just beaten the UAB Blazers in the play-in game on Tuesday, and in the early-going, it showed, as the Tigers' inside-out game helped them jump out to an 18-8 lead. 

West Virginia would rally within a point midway through the first half, using a 15-6 run to claw back to within 24-23. 

But, behind the play of Jerai Grant, the Tigers took off once again, using a 15-6 run of their own to jump back up 10 points with just over 2 minutes to go, and imposing their will on the the Mountainers through their motion offense. 

Bob Huggins' team wasn't done yet, though, putting it all together for the final two minutes of the half. 

Thanks to the play of point guard Joe Mazzulla, the Mountaineers closed the half on an 11-1 run, slicing away at the Tigers' lead until a three-pointer by forward Kevin Jones just before the buzzer tied things at 40-40 at halftime. 

West Virginia find themselves in foul trouble early, as both big men Kevin Jones and John Flowers are carrying two fouls, which should be a big factor down the stretch. 

It should be interesting to see whether the Tigers can bounce back from their struggles to end the half, as their shot selection fell apart at the end of the half. If they can relax and focus, they could be the first upset of the day. 

It should also be interesting to see whether the Mountaineers have truly found their edge, or if the burst at the end of the half was just a spurt of strong play. 

This one's looking like a real back-and-forth affair, one of those games you can't tune out from until the end. 

For more March Madness, check out Bleacher Report's March Madness Headquarters, for the latest updates on the day's actions. 

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